Just Hearing His Name

Sometimes something as simple as hearing a name can bring you a little comfort when you least expect it.

Not long ago, my store manager’s boss came to visit our store. Her name is Tony.

Hearing someone say that name out loud felt a little strange, but in a good way. Tony was my husband’s name, and since losing him, hearing it in an ordinary conversation isn’t something that happens every day.

What surprised me was how it made me feel. It wasn’t sadness. It was more of a warm, comfortable feeling. Familiar, I guess. Just hearing his name again in the middle of a regular workday felt nice.

Then I came across a video on Facebook that made me think about that moment. A man ordered coffee using his mother’s name so that, when his order was ready, someone would call her name out loud.

It’s such a simple idea, but I understood it immediately. He wanted to hear her name spoken again. And what I really loved about it was that he found a way to make that little moment happen on purpose.

Mine happened unexpectedly. I hadn’t been looking for it. But now I know how comforting something that small can be.

A name is more than a name

I think people sometimes worry about mentioning someone who has died because they’re afraid it will make us sad. And sometimes it might. Grief is different for everyone, and even for the same person it can feel different from one day to the next.

But hearing Tony’s name that day didn’t feel like a reminder of what I’d lost. It felt like a little connection to someone I love. For a moment, his name was just out there in the world again, being said in the middle of everyday life.

I may have to try the coffee idea myself someday. And I wanted to share it here because maybe it will bring someone else that same feeling. It doesn’t have to be coffee. Sometimes just hearing a loved one’s name, or saying it yourself, can mean more than anyone else realizes.

It’s funny how something so small can stay with you. I’m glad that moment at work did.

The video that inspired this entry

Watch the Facebook reel about ordering coffee under a loved one’s name. It gave me an idea I think is worth passing along.

— Carrie